Storm Dragon/1.03.24
Storm Dragons are Elite Fliers. Although they are among the top 3 Dragons for offensive damage amounts, Storm Dragons are the least effective of all Dragons. That's not to say they're bad by any means - they're just outclassed by the brethren for their purpose. Where Fire and Swamp Dragons do obscene damage vs buildings, Frost Dragons ability to constantly freeze the enemy, Celestial Dragons and Dragonliches having a magic type attack as well as further useful abilities, the Storm Dragon simply can't compete in terms of effectiveness of its design. Its unique ability is to drain mana, but with such a short range to do this within, the enemy spell casters can pull off their magic before the Dragon can deplete their mana. In most cases the magic will be used against the Storm Dragon, punishing it for trying to perform its role. But one can't deny that its very presence does cause the enemy to re-think of what they were going to do with their spell casters. Whether it forces the enemy mages to retreat or cast their spells immediately, the Storm Dragon does have some kind of effect on them, even if it's an indirect one. In terms of just power and typing, Storm Dragons do excel at fighting Dark Dwarves where the 2 common Golem types are weak to electricity. Factions Barbarians Storm Dragons possess a reliable electrical attack that can strike all target types. Along with the Swamp Dragon, the Storm Dragon can be used to deal elemental damage to enemy units that would otherwise resist or outright wall the Barbarians' over used physical weapons by hitting those units on their weaker resistance stat. With the Storm Dragon's main trait - the ability to drain enemy mana - it can also be used to tackle enemy spellcasters that would be plotting to cast such swarm-countering spells like Call Lightning, Multi-Target and Doomstones to take out your standard Barbarian infantry. However, due to the nature of the Storm Dragon's method to handle enemy spellcasters, it has to be used with care. Benefits from Training, Eagle Eye, and Magical Tattoos researches. Dark Elves The Dark Elves can use Storm Dragons like an uber Harpy - provoking enemy spellcaster to use their magic immediately or run the risk of loosing it altogether. Unlike Harpies, Storm Dragons can withstand a lot of punishment, allowing them to take every non-Hero spell in the game. As the Dark Elves have quite a lot of fragile infantry that can't afford to take some multi-hitting spells, the Storm Dragon can come in and save the day - even it it falls in the process. Interestingly, the Storm Dragon works great along side the Dark Elves other Dragon choice - the Dragonliche. With the Dragonliche being resistant to physical projectiles, the enemy would want to focus elemental attacks against it, almost all of which come from spellcasters which the Storm Dragon can drive away. With some clever play with both Dragon types (or / and a large flock of Harpies instead / with the Storm Dragon) and you can make your already difficult to take down Dragonliche nigh unstoppable. Benefits from Black Ward research. Daemons Storm Dragons can essentially be used like a uber Harpy for the Daemons - provoking an enemy spellcaster to unleash their magic then and there or else run the risk of loosing it. Unfortunately, the one real need to "block" a spellcaster's spells are against High Elves, who don't fear Dragons (literally!). This can make it difficult for the Storm Dragon to pull off its main role without suffering a lot of damage in the process, especially since the Storm Dragon is likely to provoke the spellcaster to unleash their magic upon the poor Dragon. However, Storm Dragons are still useful when their situation abilities aren't called for, or simply can't be pulled off, as their naturally strong electrically attack can be used to deal large damage to grouped infantry, giving them something else to do. Benefits from Daemonic Sight research. Dwarves As Dwarves are quite resilient to magic via a multitude of factors, their Storm Dragons can be used to help Siege Weapon convoys cross the map, as well as generally adding a new attack type to the army and replacing Griffons to some extent in regards to certain speed related strategies. However, their high gold cost can prove quite challenging to the Dwarves and they'll need to make heavy use of their Trading Post if they insist on getting a Dragon on the field. Benefits from Armorer and Mithril researches. Minotaurs Although most of the Minotaur army will survive an offensive magic spell, such as Call Lightning, they don't like being hit with spells such as Freeze / Entangle. This is where the Storm Dragon can show its worth. The Storm Dragon will essentially ward away enemy spell casters out of fear of loosing their mana, or force them to strike upon the Storm Dragon itself. Either way, the Storm Dragon can redirect a potential attack from enemy spell casters, allowing the rest of your army to proceed in straight forward combat - where you're certain to win! Storm Dragons also become useful when against Dark Dwarves where the 2 common Golem types are vulnerable to electric, and can also quickly destroy Catapults giving your foot soldiers a safe path to follow, keeping their strength intact for removing the last few remaining units and then for base razing! Benefits from Training and Eagle Eye research. Wood Elves Storm Dragons are more useful to the Wood Elves than other races, due to the omni-presences of low hit point units in their army. This would normally mean that spellcasters with any offensive spells would easily slaughter waves of Wood Elves with minimal effort. Not only can the Storm Dragon throw a spanner into the works as it would normally do, but as Wood Elves have access to the Healing researches, the Storm Dragon can quickly recover from any attack it may have suffered in the attempt to ward off enemy spellcasters. This also makes the Storm Dragon more effective with the Wood Elves, too. But of course, by being a Dragon, it is naturally a powerful creature - allowing it to still be a menace to the enemy even when its main role is no longer needed. Benefits from Eagle Eye and Healing researches. Quotes File:Storm Dragon